Author Interview with Ednah Walters and GIVEAWAY!

First of all we would like to thank Ednah Walters, author of Slow Burn, and Mindy Janicke, blog tour organizer for the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour. We thoroughly enjoyed reading Slow Burn and have been thrilled to be a part of this very special time in Ednah’s life! We hope that everyone enjoys Slow Burn as much as we have.

     Where did you get the idea for Slow Burn?

My sister lost her little boy a few years ago in a horrific accident and I was amazed at how well she dealt with the grief and managed to move on.  So I decided to write about a woman who suffers a great loss and the way she deals with it, and Slow Burn’s Ashley character was born.

      How long does it typically take you to write a book?

4 months, or 5 for YA because they are longer and have the dreaded fight scenes.

      If you had to choose one character in the book, Slow Burn, which one would you say is most like you?

None, I’m boring, laid back and quiet. Ron is cocky and charming, sure of his power over the opposite sex.  Ashley is sassy, not too much to irritate, but just enough to make things interesting.  Ron’s mother is a bitch and a diva.  His grandmother is a trendsetter.  Nah, none is like me.

      What is the one interview question that you get tired of answering? (We apologize if we end up asking it, you are welcome to just skip it if we do J)

Tell us something about you that would surprise your readers.  I never know how to answer that, although I’ve been tempted to say I live in a nudity colony…no, just kidding.

      What do you think lead you down the path of writing books as a career choice?  When did you realize that this was what you wanted to do?

Dirty diapers and baby talk.  Seriously, kudos to stay-at-moms who thrive while changing diapers, cooking baby food from scratch, sewing cute baby clothes and whipping new dishes every day for their family.  I couldn’t stand the food I cooked for my babies anymore than they did, I tried sewing, quilting, painting and realized it just wasn’t in me to be creative that way.  And my writing is not career, not until I get that monthly check on a regular basis.

When did I realize I wanted to write?  When I read my first chapter books to my kids and they loved it.  I thought, “Hmm, I could do this.”  Then I learned that just because the kids love it doesn’t mean the editors will. A painful lesson.

      Do you always read reviews of your books when they are brought to your attention, and if so do you take the opinions from those reviews into consideration when you are writing?

Oh yes I do.  Any writer who says they don’t is a L.I.A.R.  I read them, shrug at the ones who are just mean and try to hide the hurt behind, “reviewers are subjective.” Bad reviews do put a dent on my shield, but I keep going, keep improving. I’m like the tortoise.  Just keep chugging along. 

After my critique partners, beta-readers and editors, I’m through considering others’ opinions.  They’re a diverse group and if my book is okay with them, I’m ready to go.

      You have become friends with lots of your fans on your facebook page, do you find it important to be closer to the people who read and love your work?

Absolutely.  As a stay-at-home mother of 5, 6 if you count DH, 8 if you include our ornery cats, I don’t do book tours or go to writers’ retreats or conferences. Online connection is it for me. I have amazing supporters out there, which is why I do contest and I’m willing to mail swags and wins to every continent.  My fans are awesome.

      When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was going nuts as a stay-at-home mom. 

      What is your schedule like when you are writing?

I volunteer at my kids’ school and try to workout three days a week, so each day is different.  I check my e-mail first then write after I drop the kids off or after gym or after volunteering, take a break after a few hours and chit-chat with my FB friends, tweet then afternoon, go over what I wrote. Soon, it’s time to pick up the kiddos and drive them to their after school activities.   Then dinner, homework, reading then I get back writing after the kids go to bed. My DH is usually the most neglected, poor thing, but he understands…sometimes.

  When did you write your first book, how old were you?

I was 8, wrote a fairy tale.

  What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Spend time with my family—take the kids to the park, movies, shopping, trips

  What would you say is the hardest part of writing a book?

Plotting. I hate plotting.  I mean, I usually know the beginning, a few things that will happen in the middle and how the story will end.  The in-between stuff comes to me once I’m inside my characters’ heads and they’re talking to me.  This is why I hate writing a synopsis before I write my story.

  How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve written 2 YA (Awakened and Betrayed), and 3 adult contemporary romances (Slow Burn, Mine Until Dawn and Kiss Me Crazy).  I don’t know if I have a favorite.  I mean, they’re all my babies, each special and…okay, I do have a favorite… Mine Until Dawn (I was pretty ticked off after many rejections when I wrote it, so it is rather special). Then there’s Betrayed.  After world-building in Awakened, Betrayed was fun to write and it is really my favorite.  Then there’s Slow Burn…you see how hard it is to choose one?

  Do you have a job other than your writing?

Oh, yeah, I’m a domestic goddess.  You wouldn’t know it if you came to my house though and saw piles of washed laundry waiting to be folded. In my defense, we’re 9, cats included.

  What was life like before you became an author?

Diapers and baby talk.  Being a stay-at-home mother is tough. I was losing myself, feeling insignificant.  My family didn’t think so, but I really felt insignificant.

  Other than your own, what are some of your favorite books?

Jude Deveraux’s historical romances, J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon and L.A. Banks vamp series, and Cassandra Clare’s YA series.

  What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That people actually want to read them…

  If you could go to dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries. He has the most gorgeous eyes and lips ever.  I’d just sit there and stare at him.

  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A doctor like my dad.

  Do you work with an outline, or do you just write?

A sketchy outline and when I start to write, I hardly ever glance at it.  It’s more like a reference really, so I’d say I do a bit of both.

Now that we have burdened you with all of our questions we just want to say thank you for taking time to answer them for us and tell you that we really appreciate that you have been so kind. We have really enjoyed being a part of this blog tour as well as reading/reviewing your book.

~Christy and Danielle~

Link where you can find Slow Burn:

Amazon

Barnes &Nobles

Smashwords or (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50822)

Goodreads or  (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10750656-slow-burn)

And finally our GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner will win a SIGNED copy of Slow Burn along with SWAG! Just simply follow the rules below. A winner will be announced on May 15th so that everyone has time to enter!

1. Follow our blog and leave a comment containing your e-mail address! (mandatory)

2. Friend us on Facebook and leave a comment about the giveaway. http://www.tinyurl.facebookroadreviews/ +1

3. Follow us on twitter and tweet our contest! www.twitter.com/roadreviews +1

4. Share our contest on YOUR blog! + 2

That should be easy enough! Just make sure you leave your email address in your comment on this post so that we can contact you. Please leave a direct link to all extra credit posts that you share as well!

There will be a GRAND PRIZE WINNER chosen at the end of the blog tour, this winner will be chosen from the people who "like" The Fitzgerald Series' facebook page so make sure you go click "like" here http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fitzgerald-Family-series-by-EB-Walters/149204081811639

Thanks for visiting and we hope you all enjoyed our review!